The origin of the name Elodie

Many people have asked where we got the name Elodie, pronounced L.O.D. from.  A long long time ago before Dh and I were wed we went white water rafting on the Ottawa river. The rafting company we chose was on the Quebec side and offered bilingual services.  In our raft we met anhother couple and her name was Alodia.  I have always wanted to name my child Elle after Elle McPherson but felt it needed to be a more complete name. That day in August many years ago we decided our first daughter will be named Elodie. 

After much research this is what we have learned:

Saint Elodie Cordoba is a young martyr in Cordoba in the ninth century , celebrated on October 22 .   She was the daughter of a Muslim and a Christian.  His father was tolerant enough to let his Christian wife raise their two daughters, Alodia (Elodie) and his sister Nunilo or Nunilone in Christianity.  When he died, their mother remarried another Muslim who claimed that his adopted daughters, according to Islamic law, return to the religion of their father.

Islamic law requires every child in fact a Muslim father to adopt the religion, on pain of death.  And the emir of Cordoba, Abd al-Rahman II , prohibits the practice of Christianity.

Elodie and Nunilon in vain to take refuge in one of their aunts, Christian, they are discovered, arrested and locked in separate cells.

The girls were arrested, the judge tries to persuade them of apostasy , but in vain.  They are publicly beheaded 851 , in the region of Huesca , in Spain , on October 22 .

 According to tradition Aragon, and Alodia Nunilo were from the village of Adahuesca ( Barbastro ), and they were imprisoned in the castle of Alquézar .  Decapitated in Huesca, their relics are preserved in the monastery of Leire, where two scenes carved on the west portal represent their martyrdom.

Wikipedia

The name is very fitting as we both have french catholic family and think the orgin of the name pays respect to our family heritage.